Beauty & lifestyle

1920s

If you are a big history nerd, vintage art and decor lover, and you love makeup, I am sure you will be as excited as I was to discover 42 Dubonnet. A makeup brand that brings you the mystery and allure of the 1920s, 42 Dubonnet does not disappoint with their beautiful 1920’s inspired packaging and petite sized products you can slip into your purse. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ann and Lauren, the mother daughter duo who founded the brand and today I’d like to share with you their entrepreneurial journey and the story of the brand!

Lauren and Ann , founders of 42 Dubonnet

I love the aesthetics of 42 Dubonnet which is inspired by the 1920’s! What about this era appealed to you, that you went about creating an entire line inspired by this period.

Ann: I was visiting Lauren in Miami Beach for the first time. We were sipping on cocktails at Lauren’s favorite speakeasy-inspired bar and we started talking about the feelings of glamour and freedom of Miami Beach. We both loved the Art Deco colors and love the beautiful and distinctive Art Deco style. Lauren started reminiscing about her grandma’s Art Deco vintage compacts and lipsticks and the seed of 42 Dubonnet was planted.

Who would you describe as your fashion/ style role model from the 1920’s?

Lauren: There are so many role models for me from Greta Garbo, to Amelia Earhart, to the women who fought for women’s right to vote in 1920. The 1920’s symbolizes the rise of female empowerment. While I was a costume design major at the University of Texas, I used to spend hours flipping through Vogue magazines from the 1920’s and 1930’s. From the ultra-glam flapper girls to the first waves of cool androgyny, 1920’s fashion was all about liberation, trying new things and having a whole lot of fun in the process. In the 1920’s women’s style loosened up, corsets came off and skirts got shorter. We can thank Coco Chanel for this. She led the concept of casual chic in the 1920’s and is responsible for the little black dress, skirt suit, costume jewelry, and best of all, pants! Thanks to Coco Chanel, pants for women were in for the very first time! Greta Garbo was one of my favorite icons from the 1920’s. She projected a magnetism and mystique. I also love King Kong’s beautiful Fay Wray and designers like Paul Poiret.

If I were to step back into the 1920’s for a Great Gatsby style party, which of your products would you recommend I take with me 🙂

Do you see any vintage beauty trends making a comeback in the near future?

Ann: Because of the dramatic flair and luxe living, I think the 1920’s will always find ways to inspire and a lot of the beauty trends from then are still here today although maybe modified a bit…like the smoky eye look and that classic red lipstick.

What is it like working as a mother daughter team?

Lauren: Growing up, I had no idea my mom would be my business partner. Although we were close, I’m very creative and she’s more analytical. While you might think these personality differences would cause conflict in our business relationship, what’s great is that our skill sets actually complement each other. We learned to trust in each other’s strengths and it gave us a whole new appreciation for each other. For example, when we’ve had a less desirable outcome from one of our campaigns we use our unique skills sets to bond over solving problems and changing this setback into a success. These experiences have only made our bond stronger.

Ann: Well said!

What are some of the highs and lows you’ve experienced as beauty entrepreneurs?

Ann: For the highs, working with so many talented MUAs on IG is a big one and of course winning 2 packaging awards is huge. But the biggest accomplishment is having our customers love our products.

For the lows, not having our initial hot stamping turn out like we expected was a setback, but we used our unique skills sets to bond over solving problems and changing this setback into a success so our packaging got even better after that. Even though it cost us more money, we were rewarded with a 2019 Package Design Award in the HOW International Design Awards & GD USA 2018 American Package Design Awards.

Any tips for someone looking to start a beauty brand of their own?

Lauren: Research your niche and see where you fit in, find good partners (good business partners, manufacturers, vendors, etc) start your social media campaigns with anticipation well before you launch, and most importantly, be patient.

What is next for 42 Dubonnet?

Ann: We’d like to continue expanding our lipstick selection. We have 7 colors now (we started with 3) and we’d like to expand that to 10 by the end of the year.

Lauren: We also would like to expand our brand reach and awareness.

Do check out their website https://www.42dubonnet.com/ to learn more about the brand and explore their lovely products. Stay tuned for a post showcasing some of 42 Dubonnet’s beautifully packaged products coming up next!